Music News: 61st Annual Grammy Awards Recap (Videos)

The 61st Annual Grammy Award ceremony took place last night (2/10). Red carpets were slayed, wigs were laid, and history was made. Here’s a recap of the biggest moments of the night.

This year’s ceremony made an attempt at being more inclusive, with various rap and R&B performances. But what truly made the night historic were the winners of the night. After an astounding performance of her latest single “Money,” Cardi B made history as the first solo female winner of the award for Best Rap Album for first studio LP ‘Invasion of Privacy.’ Childish Gambino, in another historic feat, won 4 awards for his hit song “This is America,” including the awards for both Song and Record of Year, making it the first rap song to win either of the prestigious awards. He also won the awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Music Video/Film.

First time Grammy attendees such as Ella Mai and H.E.R. also graced the stage last night. Ella Mai received the award for Best R&B Song for her 2018 hit “Boo’d Up.” Similarly, after a lovely rendition of her song “Hard Place,” H.E.R. took home the Grammys for Best R&B Album with her self-titled EP ‘H.E.R.’ and the award for Best R&B Performance for her collaborative track with Daniel Ceasar “Best Part.”

Several more of our favorite artists also snagged awards last night. Beyoncé and Jay-Z won the award for Best Urban Contemporary Album for the collaborative work ‘Everything is Love,’ Dave Chapelle’s ‘Equanimity & The Bird Revelation’ was awarded Best Comedy Album, Drake won Best Rap Song for his hit “God’s Plan,” and Ariana Grande’s 2018 album ‘Sweetner’ won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Pharell Williams also picked up the award for Producer of the Year, while Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake’s track “King’s Dead” tied with Anderson .Paak’s “Bubblin” for Best Rap Performance. Ludwig Göransson received the award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for the 2018 blockbuster Black Panther.

All in all, the night was full of surprises, including a performance from the hostess herself, Alicia Keys. The multi-talented Grammy Award winning artist performed a double piano rendition of various classic and new-aged songs including her track “Empire State of Mind,” the classic Fugees track “Killing Me Softly,” and the hit song “Lucid Dreams.”